The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the Labour Party on Sunday cried foul as Governor Hope Uzodimma, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC was declared the winner of Saturday’s governorship poll in Imo State by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
The electoral body affirmed Uzodimma’s re-election, having won in all the 27 local government areas of the state.
The governor clinched a second term in office after scoring a total of 540, 008 votes, according to INEC
Announcing Uzodimma’s victory, the Imo State Returning Officer for the election, Prof Abayomi Fasina disclosed that Samuel Anyanwu of the PDP got 71, 503 votes while the Labour Party candidate, Athan Aconu, garnered 64, 081 votes.
The PDP and LP called for a total poll cancellation after the declaration.
They alleged that the security agents connived with INEC staff to allow members of the APC to rig the election.
Addressing journalists at a press conference, Anyanwu, while demanding the nullification of the election, said INEC and the security agents failed in their constitutional responsibility to deliver a credible election to the people of the state.
Instead, he alleged that the security agents protected INEC staff “as the APC members rewrote results.’’
Anyanwu said he and his party, the PDP, would not accept anything other than total cancellation of the poll.
The LP candidate Athan Achonu also vowed to seek redress at the election tribunal.
Addressing journalists at his Umulomo country home on Sunday, he alleged that the election was “marred by irregularities, including vote-buying and physical assaults of LP agents, and thus deserving of outright cancellation.”
He further alleged that voting in many locations was done without the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS accreditation, contrary to the assurances by INEC before the election.
Achonu also alleged compromise on the part of the security personnel, adding that “recorded evidence abound such as that of a police officer who voters beat for attempting to snatch a ballot box.”
